Chain-stretching device.



G. LEMAK.v

CHAIN STBBTGHING DEVICE. APPLICATION IILID FEB. 15, 1910.

963,052, r Patented July 5,1910.

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RW MN 4'To all whom it may concern:

GEORGE LEIVIAK, OF ALPHA, NEW JERSEY.

CHAIN-STRETCHING- DEVICE.

Be it known' that I, GEORGE LEMAK, a

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 15, 1910. Serial No.

Patented July 5, 1910. 544,126.

crumed on the pin 6 which extends through the oppositely located arms 7 which are pivsubject of Austria-Hungary, residing at otally mounted at the point 8, upon the lpha, county of Warren, State of N ew` body portion 9 of the stretching device, the Jersey, have invented a new and useful same comprising the side members or walls Chain-Stretching Device, of which the fol- 10, at or near the lower extremity of which lowing is a specification. i ormed the hook or lug 11 which is lo y invention relates to a novel construccate so as to face the hook or lug 2 as will tion of a chain stretching device wherein I e understood from Fig. 1. The stretching employa bar having rack teeth thereon, said ar 1 slides within the side walls 10 and is ar being longitudinally movable inV a suitheld in position therein by means of the able body, portions ofsaid bar and body bottom wall 12 and the top walls or crossbeing provided with lugs or projections pieces 13 and 14, as will be understood from adapted to engage a chain and provision Fig. 3, the side walls or members 10 being 15 being made for actuating said bar and causproperly braced or secured in assembled poing the latter to travel longitudinally of the sition by means of the transverse fastening supporting body, and means being provided devices 15. after stretching of the device has been ef- At or near the extremity 16 of the pivotfected, for permitting the bar to be drawn ally mounted arms 7 is located the recess 20 into its initial position. whic engages one end of the spring or For the purpose of illustrating my inventension device 18, the other end of the latter tion, I have shown in the accompanying being located in the recess 19 whereby the `drawings one form thereof which is at presarms 7, at all times, have such a tension ex- Aent preferred by me, since'the saine has been erted on them as will facilitate the operation found in practice to give satisfactory and reof the actuating lever 5, one of said arms 7 liable results, although it is to be understood aving a pin 2O secured thereon, said pin that t e various instrumentalities of which being guided in a curved slot 21 of the lug my invention consists can be variously ar- 22 on the side member 10. ranged and organized and that my invention 23 designates a pawl or tooth mounted is not limited to the precise arrangement and on the locking member 24 which is pivoted organization of these instrumentalities as at the point 8, said member 24 terminating herein shown and described. i in the resilient end 26 which bears on the Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a pin 27 as will be understood from Fig. 3. chain stretching device embodying my inne extremity of the member 24 is forked vention. Fig. 2 represents, on an enlarged. or bifurcated as indicated at 28 and has ivscale, a plan view of Fig. l. Fig. 3 repreotally mounted thereon, the lever 29, the latsents a section on line y-y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 ter eing provided with the cam face 30 represents, on an enlarged scale, a side elewhic is adapted to seat upon or contact vation showing the mannei of supporting with the member 14 when said lever is the mechanism for actuatino the stretchin turned from the position seen in full lines, vbar Fig. 5 represents a section on line Fig. 3, to the position seen in dotted lines in wsc, Fig. 4. said figure, in which position the `pawl or Similar numerals of reference indicate tooth 23 is moved out of engagement with corresponding parts in the figures. the rack teeth 3 so that the stretching'bar 1 l5 Referring to the drawings: 1 designates can slide-freely and unobstructedly in the `the stretching bar which is provided atone body 9. extremity with the deiiector, hook or lug 2 31 designates a thumb-screw mounted in and has on its outer face, the ratchet teeth 3 `the lug 32 which is adapted to be in engagewhich are adapted to be. engaged by the nose ment with the operating lever 5 vwhen the 0 4 o the operating lever 5, which is fulsame is in the position seen in Fig. 2, wliereby said lever is temporarily locked in inoperative position, as will be explained.

33 designates the link of the chain to be stretched which is in engagement with the lug 2, while 34 represents the oppositely located link of the chain which is in engagement with the lug 11, as will be understood from Fig. 1.

The operation is as followsz-The parts normally appear as seen in Fig. 2, wherein the thumb -screw 31 is screwed tightly against the lever 5 so that the nose 4 is out of engagement with the rack teeth 3 and the stretching bar can be moved longitudinally toward or away from the lugs 11 according to the distance between the links 33 and 34 of the chain to be stretched. The lug 2 of the stretching bar 1 and the lug 11 having been applied to the chain to be stretched in substantially the manner indicated in Fig. 1, the set screw 31 is loosened and the actuating lever 5, rocked into its extreme positions, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3, whereupon the nose 4 will engage the rack teeth 3 and will cause the lug 2 to move toward the lug 11. By reason of the pivotal mounting of the arms 7 on the pin S and the application of the tension device 18 thereto, the nose 4 of the lever 5 is permitted to readily ride over the rack teeth 3 so that the rack bar is actuated to the desired extent with a minimum of friction and as the stretching bar 1 progresses, it is held inits advanced position by the engagement of the tooth or pawl 23 with the contiguous rack tooth as will be understood from Fig. 3, it being understood that the lever 29 is normally in the position seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, during the actuation of the `stretching bar 1.

After the chain has been stretched to the desired extent, the contiguous links can be brought together and united by a pin 35 as indicated in Fig. 1. The stretching bar 1 can then be restored to its initial position by turning the lever 29 from the position seen in full lines, Fig. 3, to the position seen in dotted lines in said ligure, whereupon the pawl 23 is moved out of engagement with the contiguous rack teeth and the actuating lever 5, having been turned into the position seen in Fig. 2 and locked therein, by the said `screw 31, it will be apparent that the rack bar 1 will be free to slide in either direction in the recess formed by the side members 10 and the members 12, 13 and 14.

In the construction shown, which I have found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, I employ the side members 25 which are suitably secured to the body 9, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2, the pin 8 preferably passing through the arms 7 and said side members 25 and servsaid bar,

' adapted to ing as the fulcrum or pivot for said arms 7 as will be understood from Fig. 4, and also for the locking member 24, -as will be understood from Fig. 3. It will be understood that my invention is capable of being used for the stretching of chains of various sizes and dimensions and that the same is also capable of being applied to stretch other materials than chains and I therefore do not wish to be restricted to any particular kind of material which is to be stretched, although in the present instance, I have shown, as in Fig. 1 of the drawings, my invention especially adapted to the stretching of a chain.

In order to prevent the stretching bar 1 from falling from the body 9, I preferably provide the same with av stop 36 which is adapted to Contact with the extremity 37 of the strip 12 so that there is no liability of the stretching bar 1 falling from the body 9, as stated.

I-Iaving thus described I claim as new and desire to secure ters Patent, is

1. In a stretching device, a body, a stretching bar slidable in said body, means on said body and bar for engaging the material to be stretched, rack teeth on said bar, an operating lever having an end adapted to engage said teeth, arms movably mounted on said body in which said operating lever is pivoted and a tension device for said arms.

2. In a stretching device, a body having a link-engaging lug, a stretching bar sliding in said body and provided with a linkengaging lug and with a series of rack-teeth, arms movably mounted on the body, a lever fulcrumed in said arms and having one end engaging the rack teeth, and tension means connected to said arms to movably force them toward the bar.

3. In a stretching device, a body, a lug projecting therefrom, a stretching bar adapted to slide in said body, rack teeth on said bar, movable arms mounted on said body, a tension device for said arms, a guiding device for said arms, an operating lever mounted in said arms and having an end adapted to engage said teeth, a locking device for said rack, and means for rendering said locking device temporarily inoperative.

4. In a stretching device, a body, a lug projecting therefrom, a stretching bar adapted to slide in said body, rack teeth on movable arms mounted on said body, a tension device for said arms, a guiding device for said arms, an operating lever mounted in said arms and having an end engage said teeth, a locking device for said rack,` a lever having a cam face pivotally mounted on said locking device and an abutment against which said p's a am face is adapted to Contact when said pivoted, a tension device for said arms, and oc lng device 1s temporarily disengaged a set screw carried by sald body and adapted 1 0 om said rack teeth. to engage said operating lever and looking 5. In a stretching device, a body, a the same in ino peratlve position. 5 stretching bar slidable in said body, rack GEORGE LEMAK.

teeth on said bar, an operating lever having Witnesses:

an end adapted to engage said teeth, arms KALMAN RADoRzI, movably mounted in which said lever is MICHAEL KIRNER. 

